Notes / Commercial Description:
Hand-crafted using Mariss Otter barley from England and hops from Washington’s Yakima valley. This big bold pale ale has a citrus aroma and a full malt body giving it a distinctive character designed to inspire the beer connoisseur in all of us.

Appearance - Poured from a 12 oz/355ml can into A tulip glass, Pours a cloudy orangish gold with 3 and a half fingers white foamy head. the head really lasts leaving foam on top.

Aroma - Grapefruit, orange peel, a tiny bit of apple dominate, followed by the malts, I get toffee and caramel.

Taste - This borderlines IPA flavor but at 5% makes the perfect pale ale. the first flavors you get are grapefruit and orange, a bit of lime, the yeast has a light doughyness, I'm also getting Caramel and some light Toffee.

Overall - this is a great pale ale. Its up there with the likes of sierra nevada in terms of flavor and feel. a must try if you have access to it. Cheers!

Overall - This is a delicious pale ale. the flavors mesh smoothly and I would say this is on the level of Sierra nevada pale ale. maybe even a little above it. Its a must try if you can get your hands on it.

One of those borderline IPA American pale ales, full of citrus and pine and dankness. Lots of grapefruit zest and grapefruit pith. Pine needles, faint cat pee. Colour is clear orange-gold; not a lot of head, but fairly persistent. A bit more cracker malt on the taste, but this is really about showcasing the hops. Again, lots of citrus and piney resin. Carbonation is a touch aggressive, but this is very drinkable while still being nice and hoppy.

Rock solid APA that dances on the edges of its ISA and IPA cousins. I found this in a "Reign of Hops" mixer pack that disappeared quite agreeably over a weekend. The caramalt, citrus and pine set this apart from its brethren and make for a very pleasant drinking experience. If you are a fan of Pale Ales that lean to the citrusy evergreen spectrum of hoppiness, you will enjoy this beer.

Pint served on tap at the Bier Markt in Toronto. Served cold into a Red Racer pint glass.

Appearance - Bright orange and amber color, clear with plenty of lively bubbles. Topped by about two fingers of dense frothy white head with great retention and sheets of lacing around the side of the glass.

Smell - Grapefruit, Pine and other citrus dominate, not nearly to the effect of their IPA, but nevertheless a substantially citrus based aromatic pale ale.

Taste - Pretty much like the nose; citrusy with grapefruit and some orange shining through more than others. Some pine mixed in for good measure and a faint sweet caramel base to keep everything balanced.

Poured from a bomber into a London Pride pint glass. A nice mellow honey amber color, just grading into red territory, with aggressive carbonation ... Huge white head that maintains shape well. Aroma is potent, with massive pine, grapefruit, guava and marijuana hop notes along with another spicy green character that recalls mustard greens. Reminds me of this brewery's pilsener albeit with more sweet malts to provide balance. Palate is similarly bold, tons of grapefruit, lemon, orange, and mandarin citrus rind, fresh pine and weed resin ... The hops trump the malts here. The latter do provide a semi-sweet grainy backdrop that reminds me of brick oven pizza crust along with a touch of caramel and marmalade. There is a tinge of diacetyl and the finish becomes more mellow and fruity after such an aggressive start. Dank, weedy, and piney for a pale ale, hopped like a full-on IPA but less floral than Red Racer IPA proper. Does translate into a pretty balanced experience as the malts gain traction. One of those beers that evolves in real time as you drink. This almost reaches the lofty heights of its IPA stablemate and the relative absence of floral and tropical flavors actually renders the pine more noticeable. Its official, Central City is tied with Phillips as my favorite Western Canadian beer peddler. Keep up the good work guys.

I picked up a can of this a while back and am just now getting to it. I don't think the beer has suffered though.
Colour is a mellow orange with a creamy looking head, especially for a pale ale.
The aroma is certainly noticeably hoppy with some grapefruit notes like the ipa from the same brewery.

Taste is really nice, not overly hoppy, and with a pleasant sweetness to it.
Finish is clean with a light carbonation on the tongue.

Pours a clear deep gold with a frothy white head. Patches of foam coat the glass on the way down. The aroma is lemon, orange and tropical fruit hops and a light biscuit malt character. Some light citrus, lemon drop candy and guava mixes with a cookie dough, somewhat anemic maltiness. The mouthfeel is light bodied with a sparse, prickly carbonation. The finish is lightly bitter with a light metallic, soapy flavor (definitely not my freshly washed and dried Sam Adams glass) that doesn't ruin the beer, but distracts a bit.

Overall a decent Pale Ale, just a bit stayed and with a distinct astringency, possibly from yeast or temperature. Still worth trying.

Appearance: It's been so long since I had a beer that produced this much lace. It's like the rings of Saturn here, as the finger and a quarter of head stayed around. The body is a clear light amber that has a bit of gold in it. I was going to say a finger and a quarter of head is a bit low, but given it was a small can and not a tallboy, I'm going to let it slid on this one.

Smell: Citrus hops dominate the nose backed by a dry woody smell that reminds me of cedar and dry malt. Warming didn't really help either way. It's nice, although it have me worried that it might be IPA hoppy.

Taste: Not quite what I was expecting, as it starts off pretty tame as pale malt and a slight grapefruit note meanders about, until everything else comes flooding down. Grapefruit hops, straw malt and woodsy notes.

Mouthfeel: The transitioning leaves something to be desired and the beer is in need of some pacing. The carbonation does contribute a bit to the start of the beer, but it's really focuses on that main kick. The aftertaste is bitter grapefruit hops, but despite being potent, it's not bad as it doesn't leave that oily texture behind.

Drinkability: It's a little rough, I wouldn't call it an easy drinker but it is fairly light. It sits down very well, but it starts to go dry in the back of your throat after a while.

Final Thoughts: Far better then their Pilsner that is for sure, but I can't help but feel that they basically took their IPA and reduced the hops on this one. I for one found it to be quite good. Give it a shot.

Can: Poured a copper color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light citrus notes with light dry caramel malt notes. Taste is a mix of citrus malt with some biscuit malt with dry finish. Body is about average with good carbonation. Easy drinking with well balanced sweetness thought hops punch is missing.

Appearance - Pours a hazy golden-hazel colour with 2 fingers of fluffy white head which fades slowly leaving behind some quality lacing along the sides of the glass.

Smell - Citrus hops and coriander strike me immediately. There's also a heavy presence of wet grass. There is a light malt character as well, but it's comparably subdued.

Taste - Grassy and citrus hops right away, which linger until towards the middle. Citrus seems to be predominantly grapefruit. A decent amount of bitterness is present from mid drink and lingers for a while after the finish. Like the nose, there is a small amount of roasted malts in there somewhere.

Red Racer Pale Ale is exactly halfway between gold and amber and can side with either depending on the intensity of the light behind it. The highlights are healthy and bright and drawn attention to the beer's spotless clarity. Its head lasted hardly a minute.

The aroma smells like a fresh-squeezed blend of orange and grapefruit juices, pulp and all. It is brazenly citric and laced with sticky pine resin notes as well. While it doesn't flex the muscle of an IPA it has similar qualities. Deep breathes manage to detect flowers and mint.

Like the aroma, the taste also contains intense flavours that are presented with a soft touch. Bubblegum-y fruit notes and oodles of citrus are again noted, shadowed still by resinous pine notes. They are lighter than anticipated though the bitterness they deliver is almost minty-herbal and sharp as shark teeth. Mind you, it's nothing a mainstream palate couldn't handle.

It's not all pure, fresh fruit mind you. A well toasted and toffee-sweet maltiness provides a biscuity crunch and soft caramel notes in the finish. It offers nice balance and impeccable structure. My only complaint, however, is that things wrap up quicker than I'd like them to; a premature curtain falls over the aftertaste. Hey! No encore?

Red Racer Pale Ale is designed with balance and commercial appeal in mind but also offers plenty to engage the hopheads that drool over the brewery's celebrated IPA (of which this is essentially a stunted version of). It would be delightful as a casual sipping ale at the pub or on a warm patio. Another solid offering from a former Canadian Brewery of the Year winner.

Appearance - Clear amber with an average size fizzy white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, grapefruit, candied sugar

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, and hops. There is also some grapefruit, lemons, and honey dew melon sweetness. It ends with a fairly hoppy and fruity aftertaste.

Overall – A superb highly flavourful yet highly drinkable brew. It has most the flavour found in their IPA but scaled down booze. A great every day beer and extra convenient in the small can.

No date info on the bottom of the can...though there normally is...odd... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear pale-ish brass topped by plenty of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises dry pine needles, dusty toffee, and mild biscuit. Separately, those wouldn't be all that great, but, somehow, together, everything works out decently enough. The taste holds notes of depressed pine needles, light mint, light menthol, and a touch of watered-down tea. Man, this just doesn't taste all that good to me... The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slightly oily feel. Overall, I hope this is just an old can (impossible for me to tell...), but, if it's not, this stuff just ain't very good at all.

Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass. UPDATE can reading of M2509 is WAY OLD! I will re-review this in the future for sure when I can.

A pale and muddy orange light amber body, with a good thick white head, three fingers deep, with a good cap and retention. Some sticky qualities in the head but a rather hazy and muddy appearance.

Nose is full of movie theater diacetyl popcorn. I smell nothing else going on here. I kind of want to get some salt and spread this, but still not feeling it. I would like something else, but sorry as much as this isn't really off putting you should deliver something else for my senses.

Taste is much improved, but hardly anything to brag about. Orange fruit somewhat, with a light body palate with some wet like juice quality. However, the body is quite thin with hardly a malt backbone to carry anything forward. Hop angle, non existent.

Overall, really loved the IPA Central City, but this is not getting it done at all. In short a wet buttery forgetful mess.